Nurses' Role in Person-Centred Care

Introduction

The person-centred care is referred to thinking and delivery of care services by considering the service users or patients using the health and social services as similar partners with the healthcare staffs. They are determined to act as partners in planning, creating and monitoring care to ensure it meets their care needs and demands (Walker and Deacon, 2016). In this study, person-centred care is to be critically discussed and the role of nurses in delivering person-centred care is to be explained.

Discussion

The nurses are found to develop collaboration with healthcare team to effectively conduct treatment and intervention procedures for the patients to ensure their improved health outcome. Moreover, nurses are seen to develop communication with patients or service users to empower them in making personal choices, manage health without assistance, develop health literacy and create change in their existing behaviours to ensure promotion of their health (Cederwall et al. 2018). In the care environment, the nurses often face challenges with lack of competence of care by the service users. This is because the service users experience lack of confidence to accept the nature of care been provided to them (Ballard et al. 2018). As asserted by Sjögren et al. (2017), person-centred care is important as it makes the service users feel comfortable and confident in receiving the care from the nurses. This is because the support provided through person-centred approach are previously discussed and approved with informed consent from the patients to be provided to them. Thus, during person-centred care, the patients feel lack of fear towards complying with the care as they are sure of the viability and impact of the support for their improved health outcome.

The person-centred care is important as it motivates patients to easily develop positive health behaviours which are needed to improve their health condition (Sharp et al. 2016). This is because in this approach the patients are provided care intervention which is decided to be accepted by them offering them the opportunity to avail support as per their preference. It eventually leads them to feel satisfied with the care and make changes in their behaviour with self-interest to manage deteriorated health conditions (Arakelian et al. 2017). The person-centred care is beneficial as it leads nurses to use their valuable time to be effectively used in providing care. This is because in this care approach the support services are provided which are approved by the patients, in turn, avoiding use of increased time in care which is required to make patients comply with care when they show denial (Haydon et al. 2018).

In performing person-centred care, the nurses have the role to follow the core values of the care approach so that they are successful in delivering it to the specific individuals. The core values and principles of person-centred care are privacy, individuality, rights, independence, choice, dignity, partnership and respect (Ulin et al. 2016). As mentioned by Grealish et al. (2019), each of the service users is found to have different need, wishes, identity, choices, values and beliefs regarding their health and care being provided. This is because each of the service users has different level of intellect and perception regarding care. In this context, the nurses to provide person-centred care have the role to treat each of the patients as individuals and require to understand the specific care needs and demands of each of them without confusing anyone to be similar (Naldemirci et al. 2017). This is because it would lead the nurses to ensure diversity and difference in care delivery and treatment are maintained for each patient that meet their specified needs and demands of care. It indicates that person-centred care is beneficial as it makes the patients avail the specified care according to their need and demands by being centre of care intervention, in turn, offering them greater satisfactory care (Grealish et al. 2017).

The role of the nurses in delivering person-centred care is that patient’s legal and personal rights are to be abided in determining the care to be provided. This indicates that nurses in person-centred care have the role to allow patients inform their needs without hesitation and force along with are to ensure keeping them safe from any harm or abuse (Santana et al. 2018). According to NMC Code of Practice, to deliver person-centred care the nurses have the role to inform the patients as well as their supporting family members details regarding the care interventions related to their health issues and way it is to be provided (NMC, 2018). This is because detailed evidence is going to help the patients make decision regarding the need of the care along with the benefits and limitations to be experienced with the intervention. It allows the patients to provide informed consent regarding the care intervention making the nurses avail compliance in care from the patients. As argued by Kadri et al. (2018), lack of development of healthcare literacy regarding care intervention among the patients by the nurses leads to hindered person-centred care approach. This is because without detailed education and knowledge regarding impact of interventions, effective perception and judgement cannot be made by the patients to deliver informed consent for care services in offering them successful person-centred care.

In delivering person-centred care, the role of the nurses is to ensure privacy of the patients and provide them respect for their choices. This is because privacy in care leads the patients perceive that their pain and discomfort are effectively understood by the nurses and they are taking effective initiative to avoid the information from being provided to the public that may lower the dignity of the patients (Richter et al. 2019). Since dignity and respect are key values of person-centred care, thus the act by the nurses to protect privacy is vital role in the care approach. As commented by Backman et al. (2020), the role of the nurses in person-centred care is to empower the patients to be independent in making choice of their care. This is because empowerment allows the nurses to avoid forceful care to the patients to which they may non-comply at times, in turn, ensuring agreement of their support for the care provided. As mentioned by Surr et al. (2016), role of the nurses in person-centred care is to ensure dignity of the patients by approving the ethical and moral beliefs. This is because dignity in care leads the patients to feel valued and respected making them show effectively contribution in developing partnership with the nurses in framing and accepting person-centred care.

The nurses in person-centred care are to play the role of gathering feedback regarding existing care from the patients and combine it with their experiences of care to collectively analyse the information. This is to determine the improvements required in person-centred care which would benefit the patients as well as service providers to ensure effective execution of the care approach (Hunter et al. 2016). Thus, the role is to be performed so that nurses in person-centred care are able to make the slightest changes to enhance the experience of care for the patients. For instance, the study by Lang et al. (2017) mentioned that “What Matters To Me?” boards are to be installed in care environment where person-centred care is provided. This is because the board allows the nurses to ask the patients regarding the experience of care and what is important to them to ensure the care plan is accordingly framed. Thus, it is essential to promote compassionate person-centred care to be provided by the nurses in care settings.

In person-centred care, development of clarified communication is essential role to be played by the nurses. This is because without effective communication between the patients and nurses would lead the nurses unable to appropriately share the evidence regarding their care which the patients are to be used in making decision for support to be availed. Moreover, successful communication establishment leads the nurses in person-centred care to determine individual care needs and demands of the patients (Sharp et al. 2018). As mentioned by Nilsson et al. (2019), effective partnership is required to be built by the nurses with the patients in delivering successful person-centred care. This is because effective partnership between patients and nurses avoid confusion and conflict to be developed in sharing information regarding care practices and availing informed consent in person-centred care.

The NHS Scotland has designed the “Always Event” concept which informs the aspects of experiences of the patient to occur during healthcare delivery and it is to be institutionalised through interaction with healthcare staffs and professionals (NHS, 2019). This concept is to be followed in person-centred care by the nurses so that the care intervention made is as per the preference of the patients. The Care Act 2014 informs that patients are to be empowered to take decision regarding their care assessment and support along with planning which is to be established by the local governing bodies and communities through communication with the patients (legislation.gov.uk, 2014). The Health and Social care Act 2012 informs the Clinical Commissioning Groups to empower each patient to have direct input in deciding their care (legislation.gov.uk, 2012). Thus, the nurses while offering person-centred care to the patients are to consider the healthcare Acts to offer legal and ethical care.

Conclusion

The above discussion informs that person-centred care is important as it helps the patients to feel comfortable and confident in availing care, meet their care needs, allows them to directly communicate regarding their care and others to avail satisfactory care services. The role of the nurses in delivering person-centred care is developing effective partnership with the patients, offer them respect and dignity, share care information, avail informed consent and others.

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